1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to adapters for power line communication systems, in particular, the invention relates to adapters that connect a power line network modem to an electrical outlet or electrical power cord.
2. Description of the Related Art
The widespread availability of computers, especially personal computers, has led to a rapid increase in the number of computer networks. Networking two or more computers together allows the computers to share information, file resources, printers, etc. Connecting two or more personal computers and printers together to form a network is, in principle, a simple task. The computers and printers are simply connected together using a cable, and the necessary software is installed onto the computers. In network terminology, the cable is the network medium and the computers and printers are the network nodes. Unfortunately, in practice, creating a computer network is often not quite as simple as it sounds. Typically, a user will encounter both software and hardware problems in attempting to configure a computer network.
When configuring a network in a home or small office, users often encounter hardware difficulties insomuch as it is usually necessary to install a network cable to connect the various network nodes. In a home or office environment, it can be very difficult to install the necessary cabling when the computers are located in different rooms or on different floors. Network systems that use radio or infrared radiation are known, but such systems are subject to interference and government regulation, and thus are far less common than systems that rely on a physical connection such as a wire or cable.
Virtually all residential and commercial buildings in the U.S. are wired with electrical power lines, and using the existing power lines as a network medium to carry data is both convenient and efficient. Access to the power lines, for both power and data, is typically provided by conventional two-pronged or three-pronged electrical outlets. In most homes and office buildings, several electrical outlets are provided in each room. Nevertheless, many people find that there are never enough available outlets. To combat this problem, a wide variety of multi-outlet adapters have been marketed.
The multi-outlets adapters come in many forms, but they all have the common goal of expanding the number of devices that can be plugged into a wall outlet. One common type of multi-outlet adapter used with computer equipment is the surge-suppressor strip. The surge-suppressor strips usually include a power cord that plugs into an existing wall outlet, a switch, a circuit breaker, and several outlets. The surge-protector strips include surge suppressors and noise filters to protect the computer equipment from voltage spikes and noise often present on the power line.
Unfortunately, the surge suppressors and noise filters in the surge-suppressor strips often cause problems with power line networking systems because the noise filter treats the network data signals as noise that must be removed. Therefore, it is often desirable for the power line networking system to have direct access to the electrical power outlets, rather than the outlets provided by the surge-suppressor strip.
Power line network systems are often installed by homeowners and small business owners who have little, if any, technical training. Some users have encountered difficulty, and dissatisfaction, with prior power line network systems because the user, unwilling to give up an electrical outlet, plugged the power line equipment into a surge-suppressor strip (sometimes rendering the power line network equipment partially inoperative due to the noise filters in the strip). Moreover, previous embodiments of power line adapters have met with some consumer resistance because the need for direct access to the power outlet xe2x80x9cused upxe2x80x9d an outlet that the consumer wanted to use for other purposes. In some cases, the size existing power line equipment that plugged into an electrical outlet forced the user to move furniture away from the outlet (such situations can occur, for example, when the outlet being used for a computer or printer lies behind a desk or bookcase).
The present invention solves these and other problems by providing a compact modular feed-though adapter that allows an electrical connection to a power line network adapter without xe2x80x9cusing upxe2x80x9d an electrical outlet. In so doing, the present invention greatly increases the convenience and usability of power line network equipment. Power line network equipment configured according to the present invention is much easier for the user to install than prior systems and significantly reduces the chance that a user will have problems due to incorrect installations. The feed-through adapter allows the user to plug the power line network adapter directly into the wall without sacrificing an electrical outlet.
In one embodiment, the modular feed-through adapter also provides noise filtering to protect electrical equipment plugged into the feed-through outlet. Unlike a conventional surge-suppressor strip that filters all outputs, putting the noise filter in the feed-through adapter provides filtering where desirable (e.g. to protect a computer) and avoids protective filtering where such filtering would be undesirable (e.g. in the power line network data path). The noise filtering also protects the power line network data signals from noise generated by the devices plugged into the feed-through adapter. In one embodiment, the network connections provided by the feed-through adapter are low voltage connections, thus allowing the network connections from the feed-through adapter to be safely plugged directly into low-voltage equipment such as computer network cards and the like.
One embodiment includes a self-contained feed-through power line network adapter that provides an electrical power connection to a power line, and a network data connection to a computer or other device. In one embodiment, the self-contained unit includes an electrical plug configured to plug into one socket, such as the lower socket, of an electrical power outlet without covering other sockets in the electrical outlet. The self-contained adapter includes a feed-through output socket and a network data/power connector. In one embodiment, the feed-through socket includes a filter to reduce the amount of power line noise and voltage spikes that reaches the equipment plugged into the feed-through socket. The filter also reduces the amount of noise that reaches the data/power connector from the device plugged into the feed-through outlet. In one embodiment, the self-contained network adapter includes a power line network interface and one or more network ports to allow network connections between the self-contained network adapter and a computer or other device.
In one embodiment, a self-contained adapter includes an electrical plug configured to plug into two or more sockets of an electrical power outlet. The two-outlet self-contained adapter includes two feed-through output sockets and a network data/power connector. In one embodiment, the feed-through socket includes a ground-fault interrupter circuit for safety and a filter to reduce the amount of power line noise and voltage spikes that reaches the equipment plugged into the feed-through sockets. The filter also reduces the amount of noise that reaches the data/power connector from the device plugged into the feed-through outlets.
In one embodiment, a modular feed-through power line network adapter provides an electrical power connection to a power line, and a power and data connection to a power line network adapter. The modular adapter provides a feed-through output socket and a power/network connector. In one embodiment, the feed-through socket includes a filter to reduce the amount of power line noise and other voltage transients that reach the equipment plugged into the feed-through socket. The filter also reduces the amount of noise that reaches the data/power connector from the device plugged into the feed-through outlet. In one embodiment, the data/power connector is configured to receive a data/power cable connected to a power line network adapter module. In one embodiment, the data/power connector provides 110-volt power to the network adapter module. In one embodiment, the data/power connector provides relatively lower voltage power to the network adapter module. In one embodiment, the data/power connector provides data signals to a self-powered the network adapter card or module. One embodiment includes a modular feed-through power line network adapter configured as a surge-suppressor strip that includes a network power/data connector.
One embodiment includes a modular feed-through power line network adapter that provides an inline electrical power connection to a computer power-supply connector plug and a data connection to a power line network adapter.
In one embodiment, a low pass filter reduces the amount of power line noise that reaches the device plugged into the feed-through outlet. The low pass filter also reduces the noise that reaches the data/power connector from a device plugged into a feed-through outlet. In one embodiment, the low pass filter is an LC filter.
In one embodiment, the modular adapter includes a balun to couple network data signals to the power line.